Democratic members of congress applaud President Obama as he delivers his State of the Union address in 2015. (LARRY DOWNING/REUTERS)

"We want to tell their stories, we want to honor their memory and we want to support Americans whose lives have been forever changed by gun violence and remind every single one of our representatives that it's their responsibility to do something."

The gesture is seen as an indication that Obama plans to make his efforts to combat the nation's gun scourge a central piece of his final State of the Union address.